IN what appears to be an effort to save the dignity of the institution, the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) administration office advised presidential spokesperson Harry Roque to transfer to a temporary treatment and monitoring facility (TTMF) to give way for other COVID-19 patients with moderate to severe symptoms.
“I was told that I should arrange for a TTMF beginning Wednesday,” Roque told reporters in a press briefing.
A temporary treatment and monitoring facility, or TTMF, is a type of facility that accommodates COVID-19 patients with mild symptoms in order to free up hospital beds for persons with moderate to severe symptoms.
Roque insisted that his “instant” hospital admission last Saturday was necessary because he was already in bad shape then. According to the Palace mouthpiece, his oxygen level dropped to 90 percent compelling him to ask the PGH for a room.
Interestingly, Roque announced the next day that he felt better after taking remdesivir and steroids.
Roque’s “instant” admission at the COVID-referral hospital drew flak as the Palace spokesperson got past hundreds of COVID-19 patients waiting in line for their admission so they could be treated.
Asked by reporters in an earlier press briefing as to how he managed to secure a hospital room at a time PGH has already been saturated, an obviously pissed off Roque warded off the issue by saying it was “un-Christian” to be asked on that matter.